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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mate — to breed
  6. root — the cause
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pop — music
  16. pass — a permit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. drill — army training
  22. mate — a partner
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com